IDEA – The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
This is a law by the federal government of the United States that says that all children within a state, that are eligible with certain disabilities must have a free and appropriate education available to them. The law regulates how states provide special education, early intervention and other services to children with disabilities, age’s birth to 26. The law only applies to states that accept funding from the Federal Government – all states have accepted, therefore they are subject to the law. (Wikipedia – IDEA, Building the Legacy of IDEA – 2004)
Students that have disabilities making them eligible for services have the following conditions: mental retardation, hearing impaired (including deafness), visually impaired, serious emotional disturbances, orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury or other impairments or specific learning disabilities, who need special education and related Services. Children who do not qualify for IDEA may receive services under the ADA. (Wikipedia – IDEA)
The law came about through a case wherein was judged that if free education to disabled children is not available then it would constitute “a violation of due process”. (Wikipedia – IDEA) The law was last amended in 2004 - “Free Appropriate Public Education” (FAPE) to prepare them for “further education and independent living”. Before the “Education for all Handicapped Children Act” (EHA), preceding IDEA, the ratio of children with disabilities getting an education was 1 in 5. Those who were not educated in public school were taught in private homes, hospitals, or institutions and labeled emotionally disturbed, mentally retarded, blind or deaf. Most received very little or no education. Now there are more than six million receiving services through IDEA. (Wikipedia – IDEA)
Note that the benefits for children with disabilities that enroll in private schools differ from those in public schools. (Building the Legacy of IDEA – 2004)
When a child qualifies for services through IDEA, an IEP is prepared. (Individualized Education Program). The child must be in the least restrictive environment where that child can still learn. The parents along with the following members of the school staff collaborate as a team to write an IEP for an individual child: regular education teacher, special education teacher, school psychologist, and the administrator. Parents can prepare the IEP if they feel the school’s plan is not fair. (Wikipedia – IDEA)
Links: http://en.wikipedia.org IDEA, http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home, http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea2004.html